The Tang of Blood
by WizardsGirl
Summary: Fate steps in, and suddenly Harry's life is turned upside down in a surprise move to Sunnydale, California. How will the ten-year-old, untrained wizard cope with Sunnydales not-so-sunny inhabitants? R&R Maybe slash, depends on you guys!
1. Destiny's Rambling

**A/N:** I own nothing, neither Harry Potter characters or Buff the Vampire characters, but I do own the plot & maybe a character or two that will appear later on in the story!! Oh, and Fate, in my own little way, I guess. Though, she's not a woman who'd be owned by anyone, no matter what. My other story, When a Phoenix Interferes, is being paused at the moment... Srry. X(

_**The Tang of Blood**_

**Prologue**

**~*~**

This is a story about a boy. A boy meant to be the Savior of a world that would never appreciate him. But, as you'll see, I've always had a spot for this boy in my plans, and have deemed it necessary to change his destiny.

You see, this boy's name is Harry James Potter, and, at the moment, he's ten years old. Now, many would be shocked, appalled even, at the tasks that the world he was to save wished to place on such a boy. After all, it was no child's place to fight in a war, and to have his choices ripped from him by some daft candy addicted old man. And to want to force such a sweet, gentle, and much too mature ten year old to face a megalomaniac sadomasochist like Lord Voldemort, christened Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr.? Idiotic.

But, then again, I've always had a fondness for mucking around with Wizards plans. Oh, you don't know about Wizards? Well, it's my duty to make sure you're properly informed before you move any further into the adventurous life of Harry Potter. Or, how his life is soon going to be, if I have any say. Which I do. Most definitely. Anyways, Wizards and Witches are real, and live all around the world. The have wands, do spells, make potions, and go to magical schools as children to learn by the age of eleven.

Mind you, they are incredibly arrogant bastards, for the most part, and think less of non-magical people, or "muggles" as they call them, and especially loath non-humans in general. Especially "Dark" creatures, such as Vampires, Werewolves, and the like. Me, I've always found them to be hypocrites. We're all monsters, no matter how normal we appear. No matter that a Vampire often kills when feeding, one human a day mostly. Humans kill over five hundred people a day, and Wizards die in hundreds each day do to other Human Wizards. Like I said, though, we're all monsters. Take Harry's relatives, for instance.

Vernon Dursley, his wife Petunia, and their son Dudley are three of the most horrid humans I've ever had the displeasure of finding. Vernon, a walrus like man who is large, has no neck, and has a damp-straw colored hair and mustache is a horrid man, who says that his nephew, Harry (who happens to be an untrained Wizard, though one of the strongest I've ever seen), is a Freak and is Abnormal. Me, I say he's an adorable little boy with an insane amount of power on his hands and no clue about it, but that's just me.

Petunia, Harry's Aunt from his Mothers side, is a tall, rake of a woman with a shrewd expression permanently stuck on her face, dark blond hair, horse-like teeth, and a long neck gained from many hours of her favorite pass-time 'Spy On The Neighbors And Gossip About Their Scandalous Behavior'. Irritating woman who believes her abnormally obese son can do no wrong at all.

Ah, Dudley. The eleven year old who could outweigh a baby whale. Literally. Guineas World Records or Ripley's Believe It Or Not should give them a call. Dudley is a mini-Vernon in the making with a nasty right hook, which Harry's found out multiple times. Vile little boy, in my opinion, but who ever asks my opinion, hmm? No one, that's who! Arge, I'm getting off track. Distracted by the vile, abusive humans...

Harry, though, he's a fine example of my favorite kind of human. He's sweet, kind, gentle, submissive to a point, and isn't afraid of the usual things children fear these days. He has mess ebony hair, pale skin that never burns (lucky brat), he's a bit too short for his age, and too thin do to starvation by his relatives, and a set of the most gorgeous bright, glowing green eye's I've ever seen. Utterly breath taking and beautiful, seeming to see straight into your soul. Oh, and an odd lightining bolt scar on his forehead, given to him after the murder of his wizard and witch parents by the megalomaniac sadomasochist, I told you about him earlier, when he was eleven months old, but that doesn't matter to us. To the Wizarding World, it does, but to this story it means jack-didily-squat.

Now, you're all probably waiting for me to get to the chase and stop beating around the bush, correct? Very well. My plans for Harry are very interesting and sly, if I do say so myself, which I do. You see, Vernon Dursley's been promoted at Gunning's, a Drill company. So, he and his family, and Harry, have been forced to move from dreary, plain Surrey, England, to sunny, bright California of the U.S. of A. Where, my faithful audience, Harry shall meet many... let's say different, kinds of people. All of them shall be interesting, but not all of them will be friendly.

Oh, you're all in for a wild ride. Wait, you don't know who I am? Well, I guess I couldn't blame you. I've gone by many names, but the single recurring one that pops up every day in some way, shape, or form is quite simply. You can all call me Fate.

**A/N:** Bumbumbum.... R&R, plz!!!


	2. A Bit of A Sadist

**A/N:** Need I repeat my previous disclaimer? Honestly? R&R

_**The Tang of Blood**_

**Chapter One**

**~*~**

Harry grimaced as the plane hit a spot of turbulence, shaking violently for a few moments before settling down again. He had been forced to sit between his large uncle and his even larger cousin, with his aunt directly across from his. The reasons were simple: Dudley wanted the window seat, and what Dudley wanted, Dudley got. Or you could face the wrath of a horrendous temper tantrum. His uncle, may he rot in hell, didn't want him in the aisle, so he couldn't escape. His aunt just had no where else to sit.

Harry sighed as he watched the silent plane movie, wishing he could have a pair of ear phones like his relatives so he could listen as well. He felt a familiar warmth in his chest, and quickly soothed it away before something irrevocable could happen. Though he'd been raised to believe that magic was evil and was punished harshly if the word was ever uttered, Harry knew better. He had magic, and he could control it. He could do things others couldn't, and that scared his relatives. He knew that they hated him, and that all the beatings were them trying desperately to get rid of the magic, but he didn't care.

The captains voice came on over the intercom. They were preparing to land; Harry quickly made sure his buckle was tight, and snuggled back into the seat, eyes closed as if in prayer, but in truth only trying to control his expression and keep the anticipatory glee off of his face. His relatives, he'd discovered, were absolutely _terrified_ of flying. Dudley had nearly wet his pants after liftoff, Aunt Petunia had fainted, and Uncle Vernon had turned and interesting shade of white mixed with grayish green. It was, in Harry's opinion, the funniest thing he'd ever witnessed. He himself was perfectly fine with flying. He rather enjoyed it. I was liberating, in the sense that no one could control which way you went, as they'd be able to when you were on the ground.

As the plane shook violently, Harry smirked inwardly as he listened to his relatives whimper. Ah, what a satisfying sound. Yes, he could be a bit of a sadist if he deemed it the appropriate time, but that didn't matter. He inhaled deeply through his nose and let out a silent sigh of pleasure. Oh yes, he loved their fear.

Minutes later, they were leaving the airport, scrunched into a taxi, Harry laughing manically at the insane driver who went no slower then ninety. His relatives were all pale, Aunt Petunia had fainted, Dudley was whimpering pathetically, and Vernon kept swallowing periodically. Harry and the driver, Vinny, shared evil and conspiratory grins. Vinny loved scaring tourists... With a cackle, the taxi driver sped up, swerving through the congested streets like a man with a death wish, making Harry laugh joyfully and Dudley scream.

When they reached the hotel, the Durselys flew from the car and would have probably started kissing the ground with belief if it wouldn't have appeared 'abnormal'. Harry left reluctantly, shaking hands with Vinny, who adored the kid and gave him his personal number to call if he ever needed anything. Harry grinned at him, gave him a wink, and hid the paper in one of his too large pockets on his too-many-sizes-too-big. His relatives didn't notice. The checked into the hotel for the night, and Harry stared out the small window from his place on the floor. Vernon and Petunia took one bed, and Dudley had the other.

Harry sighed softly, sitting up, unable to sleep. They'd be on their way to Sunnydale in the morning in a car that Vernon had rented as soon as he stepped foot in the room. He got up and silently went to the window, staring out into the night. It was loud, and Harry was disappointed at the lack of stars he could see.

_Life here is going to be... Different,_ Harry thought idly, staying up all night and watching the sun come up.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"We're here!" Vernon announced the next afternoon as they pulled up in front of they new house. It was small, with three bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a small living room. Harry was relieved at it had a small yard and that they had to use the closet. It meant he wouldn't be forced to live in it, which made him hopeful that he might, just might, get the couch. He knew better then to ask for a room. After all, Dudley needed someplace to put all of his broken toys and such.

"Boy, start moving our stuff in," Vernon ordered; Harry sighed.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," he said with a hint of mockery hidden expertly in his tone. Vernon nodded as if he were a lord, arrogant and proud. It made him look like he was trying to grow a neck; Harry stifled a giggle as he hurriedly began to pull the boxes from the trunk and take them inside of the fully furnished house. They'd sent the furniture up ahead, so he thankfully didn't have to move that in. While he was outside, he looked up at the clear blue sky, smiling softly and closing his eyes for a moment, enjoying the suns warmth on his face. With a soft sigh, Harry got to work.

**A/N:** Review plz!! X)


	3. From Kitten to Raven

**A/N:** WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! I just had lots of candy, and ice cream, and pop, and... (Happily starts singing 'I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts' while on sugar high) R&R peoples...

_**The Tang of Blood**_

**Chapter Two**

**~*~**

"You want me to what?" Harry asked, staring at his uncle in disbelief. With narrowed eyes, the portly man slapped him with enough force that he hit the ground. Harry winced, swallowing the blood that filled his mouth. Vernon grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him to the front door, yanking it open and tossing him out onto the grass.

"Go to the store," he ordered, tossing three twenties onto the boy. Harry grimaced as he rubbed his bruised cheek. "Get Dudley his favorite ice creams, and cereal. And bring me some chocolate. And you better be quick, boy, or else," the man hissed menacingly, slamming the door shut. Harry shook his head, plucked up the money, and sighed before walking off in the night. Just his luck to be ordered to the store on their first night in a weird town. The sun had set an hour before, and Harry was carefully sticking to the lit sidewalk.

Harry rubbed his swelling cheek gently, tonguing the cut his teeth had made in his cheek gently. He winced slightly, then sighed. He was passing a graveyard, and gave it a curious glance, pausing. There was a woman sitting there, here back to him, sitting on the ground in a circle of tombstones. Harry stared at her curiously, before hesitantly stepping off the lit concrete path and onto the soft grass of the graveyard. He walked slowly, making sure that he was to the side of the woman so if she moved her head she would see him. He paused when he was beside her, a mere three feet seperating them.

"Ma'am?" He asked tentatively; she looked up at him with dreamy eyes, baring her teeth in an odd sort of smile; Harry shifted on his feet. The woman patted the grass next to her, and Harry slowly sank down. She smiled happily at him, with a childish glee.

"Oh, poor kitten," the woman cooed, lifting one hand to trail her fingers lightly against his bruised cheek. He winced slightly, and she cooed at him, pulling him to her with a near inhuman strength. "No worries, green-eyed-Kitten, Dru will take care of you, yes she will." She smiled dreamily down at him. "The stars tell me so. Oh yes, Kitten, the tell me so." Harry stared up at her from where he was in her lap, wondering if he should be afraid. He felt safe, oddly enough, but knew he had to hurry to the store and get his uncles things or there would be hell to pay."

"Miss Dru?" he asked meekly; she smiled encouragingly down at him. "I've got to go to the store and get the groceries, or my uncle will be cross." A slight frown crossed her beautiful face, her dark eyes landing on his bruised and swollen cheek. She thought for a moment, then nodded firmly.

"Kitten no worry about anything. Dru will take you to the store and walk you home, yes she will. Dru keep Kitten safe, okay?" Harry nodded hesitantly, unsure what to say. The tall woman stood, pulling him to his feet. She smiled at him brilliantly; he couldn't help but smile back. Dru took his hand and cheerfully walked with him.

" You know, Miss Dru, my name's Harry," Harry said softly; Dru nodded cheerfully.

"Dru knows Kitten's name, silly Kitty, but she also knows Kitten is unhappy with his home, so she'll make sure he has home to go to when he wants." Harry stared up at her wide, old eyes which held a child's innocence even as they spoke of horrible secrets. Harry stared into those dark eyes, and slowly smiled. He tightened his hand in hers, and the continued onward. They passed a club, call The Bronze which Harry found too loud for his tastes. He told Dru that, and she giggled, before she pulled Harry along, skipping. Harry giggled as well, joining her, and together they skipped to the store, laughing and singing a perverse version of 'Miss Mary Mack'.

"_Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,_

"_All dressed in Black, Black, Black,_

"_She has a knife, knife, knife,_

"_Stuck in her back, back, back._

"_She cannot breathe, breathe, breathe;_

"_She cannot cry, cry, cry,_

"_That's why she begs, begs, begs,_

"_She begs to die, die, die!"_

Harry and Dru burst into the store while singing the last two versus, making the blood in several people's blood turn to ice. Hearing Harry's sweet, childish voice mixed with the insane womans scared the shit out of people for some reason. It raised the fine hairs on everyone's necks and made them shudder. Harry giggled as he pulled his new friend with him as he grabbed a basket thing and started piling it with Dudley's favorite things. He put three bars of chocolate in as well, for his uncle.

"Little Kitten," Dru cooed as they stood in line, petting Harry's hair gently. Harry grinned up at her and made a purring noise; she giggled with delight, clapping her hands childishly. "My little Ebony Kitten," she said firmly; Harry smiled warmly, his emerald eyes sparkling with his happiness.

"As long as you'll have me," he said softly; Dru pulled him into a hard but sweet hug, and placed a kiss on his lightning bolt scar.

"Always!" she chirped, and Harry laughed as he paid the creeped-out clerk, and led the way out of the store. Dru insisted on carrying the bags, though Harry had deduced that she wasn't totally human. They made their way to the graveyard. Harry bounced around her, describing with relish his relatives fear of flying and the Taxi Ride of Doom, and Dru giggled with him, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She then started telling him about her Daddy, who Harry decided he'd like to meet.

"Daddy makes it rain blood," Dru said dreamily; Harry looked up at her as he held her hand. "He makes them scream and beg and writhe and it's_ so__ Beautiful_." She sighed dreamily, and Harry looked behind them with a frown. He could have sworn he'd heard something. "Then the mean Slayer made him get a soul," she wrinkled her button nose; Harry giggled slightly. "Nasty, nasty soul. Made Daddy strange. But, he's better now!" She beamed, joy sparking in her eyes, and Harry smiled too, happy for his friend.

"So," he started hesitantly. "You're not human?" Dru shook her head, and her beautiful face shifted to a harsh one with ridges and large fangs. Her dark eyes were a bright mustard yellow. Harry stared at it, then tentatively raised his hands and dragged his fingers gently over her ridged cheeks and forehead, fascinated. He giggled when she purred, before pulling his hands away. She shifted back to her normal face, and the took each others hands again, smiling.

"Miss Dru should be Kitten," Harry said with a giggle. "You purr." Dru looked thoughtful, then smiled.

"Then Kitten shall be Raven instead." She leaned down and kissed his head gently; Harry smiled warmly.

"I think you're a Princess," Harry said simply; Dru cocked her head to the sighed questioningly. "A Princess of the Night," Harry nodded firmly, smiling softly up at the Vampire who'd in half an hour treated him nicer then his family had in ten years. "And I am you trustful Raven." Dru smiled warmly down at him as they entered the grave yard.

"Dru!" A relieved British voice exclaimed, and Harry jumped, moving instinctively closer to his friend as a tall, lanky man with slicked back white-blond hair started over, looking relieved. He wore a black leather duster, black leather pants, and a blue silk shirt that brought the intense blue of his eyes out sharply. Harry pressed more firmly against Dru as the man took notice of him. His blue eyes narrowed.

"Who's the whelp?" the man demanded; Harry swallowed.

"Spikey leave Dru's little Raven alone," Dru admonished, petting Harry's hair soothingly. Harry turned his face to look up at her, exposing the bruised cheek to the man. The man hissed softly, his demon making his eyes flash yellow. He disliked the thought of someone hurting the whelp. His Demon was furious, but Spike held it under control, just barely.

"Little Rave," Dru cooed; Harry smiled.

"Night's Princess," Harry retorted, and they both giggled. Spike watched them closely, and decided he liked what he saw. This was the calmest and most sane he'd seen his Dru in a long while, and if the boy made it happen, who was he to stop it?

"So," he said, making the two people before him turn to focus on him. "My name's Spike," he said to Harry, holding out a hand. Harry took it tentatively, with a shy smile, ducking his head slightly.

"Name's Harry," he replied meekly; Spike grinned as Dru cooed and pulled the boy back to her so she could cuddle him close and kiss his head. Harry wiggled but it was half-hearted. He couldn't help but relish the hug, closing his eyes and snuggling close to the vampires body with a soft, contented sigh. He'd never felt so safe and loved before. It was nice.

"Angelus is out playing with the Slayer and her little friends," Spike told Dru, who nodded cheerfully.

"Little Raven must get home, or his nasty uncle will be unhappy with him," Dru told the blond vampire, who nodded, taking the bags from her. Harry took Dru's hand, and pulled on his reserves of bravery before boldly reaching over and snatching up Spike's as well. The other Vampire stared at him in shock, but let the little boy hold his hand. Dru hummed 'Miss Mary Mack' under her breath and Harry thought of something. With a grin, he started to sing:

"_Way up in the sky,_

"_The little Birds fly._

"_While down in the nest,_

"_The little Birds rest._

"_With a wing on the left,_

"_And a wing on the right._

"_The little birds sleep,_

"_All through the night._

"_The bright sun comes up,_

"_The dew fals away._

"_'Good Morning, Good Morning!'_

"_The little birds say._

"_Well I open my eyes,_

"_I get out of bed._

"_I open the window_

"_And SMASH THAT BIRDS HEAD!!"_

He burst out laughing with Dru, and Spike snorted with amusement. _We're either rubbing off on the squirt,_ he thought idly as they reached the boys house, _Or he's rubbing off on us. Not sure if that's good or bad, though..._

**A/N: **Wheee! REVIEW PLZ!!! XP


	4. Vile Humans and Interest of Rats

**A/N:**__Okay, let's straighten this thing out. I have no clue what season this is, considering I've only fully watched the first one and stole random episodes of the rest. Major Buff Bashing, Xander has one eye and the Hyena Spirit is happily in the back of his head (Though the others don't know that, except Giles 'cause Xander sees him as a father-figure), Spike has no chip, Angel is dead. Angelus is BACK!!!! No more soul, and no way to get it back. Period. That's nonnegotiable. Hate Angel, love his demon. Now, onward!!!

**Chapter Three**

**~*~**

Harry wondered if he'd done the right thing, inviting the vampires in. He stared at a snarling, vamped-out Spike pinning his large uncle to the wall three feet off the ground for a few moments, before nodding to himself. Yes, he'd most definitely done the right thing, and snuggled deeper in Dru's embrace as she cooed at him and petted his hair. He closed his eyes and sighed blissfully, smiling slightly as he listened to Spike threaten his uncle.

"Listen here, you pathetic sack of worthless blood," the British vampire hissed, his Game Face firmly in place. "You'll not lat a finger on the lad there, not say a harmful thing, and will treat him like a bloody prince. If I find out you hit him, I'll kill you. If I find out you mistreated him, I'll torture you. If I find out he's gotten so much as a scraped knee, I will personally rip out your intestines and kill your family before your piggy eyes as you die. Understand, mate?" He barred his fangs in a parody of a smile; Vernon wet himself and nodded frantically.

Harry found himself dozing, and yawned, wincing slightly as his cheek protested. Spike grunted, dropping the portly human to the floor and moving over to the kid calmly.

"Get to bed, brat. We'll see you tomorrow night at the cemetery, understand?" Harry nodded, gave Dru a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. He hesitated briefly, before diving forward and hugging Spike tight around the waist. The blond vampire stared down at him for a few seconds, before patting him awkwardly on the head. It was bad enough his demon was insanely protective of the kid, as if he was the demons own child, but the fact that he himself already liked the brat didn't help at all.

"Right, we'll be off now," Spike said, moving over to stand next to Dru. Harry smiled at them as they left, waving as they disappeared into the night. Smiling cheerfully, he turned to his relatives and beamed. Vernon had managed to pull himself to his feet, and Harry walked right by them.

"I'm going to bed," Harry called, heading towards the basement. He'd been down there before the sun had come up, and found a bunch of boxes left from the previous owners. He'd also found some foam bedding stuff and a sheet to put on it. It was very comfortable. He'd also found a hole in the wall that apparently went somewhere underground. He'd investigate that later tomorrow, though.

Shutting the basement door, he pulled the bolt into place, pleased that he practically had his own room now. He hummed as he slowly went down the stairs in the dark, before his uplifted hand brushed the pull-string that lit the bare bulb. He pulled it, lighting up the room and scaring some rats back into the hole in the wall.

"Sorry," he called softly after them, not liking the fact that he'd scared them. "I didn't mean to startle you guys. I was just coming down to get ready for bed..." One of the rats ventured back out as the boy pulled off his shoes and socks. Harry blinked at it, then smiled warmly. "Hello there," he murmured gently. He'd always liked rats, as well as spiders and snakes. Anything that scared most people now-a-days.

The rat was medium sized, only about four or five inches long. It's fur was a dark brown that was nearly black, and it had some small light brown specks on it's face and around it's beady black eyes. Harry lay down slowly on his bed, and set his hand down on the ground, palm up, near it. The rat crept closer, sniffed at his hand, then climbed onto it. Harry slowly lifted it until it was next to his head. He gently stroked a finger down it's back, smiling softly.

"My name's Harry. I hope you and your friends don't mind a human as a roommate." He yawned, blinking sleepy eyes at the rat, who cocked it's head to the side and sniffed at him. Harry set it gently on the bed, took off his glasses, reached up and pulled the string. Immediately, he was surrounded by darkness and relaxed fully with a pleased sigh. "Good, it's nice and dark." He reached out carefully and found the rat, gently petting it as he lay down and covered up with another jaw popping yawn. "Night, little friend. See you around," he murmured sleepily, before his bright green eyes closed and he fell asleep almost immediately.

The rat watched him carefully, before nodding and scurrying from the room. It darted down the tunnel, and took many different twists and turns, passing comrades and pests, before it emerged in a large antechamber, where many men and women were gathered. Slowly, the rat changed, growing and shifting with a blur of power, until a tall man stood in it's place. He had short and spiky brown-black hair, with light brown highlights. His eyes were completely black with barely a hint of white. He was wearing all black leather, and hurried into the room, brushing past people with an impatient hiss.

"Ariel, you've returned later then our comrades," a man hissed, stepping from the shadows. The man, Ariel, bowed lowly. "They fled as soon as the human entered the room, but you, I'm told, stayed back to observe." The man was tall, nearly seven feet, with pure white hair and eerie red eyes. He wore black leather as well, but he radiated a sense of power that sent the weaker rat demons scurrying. Ariel shivered slightly, and licked his lips, briefly exposing sharp, pointy teeth.

"I bring news of the human boy, my lord Keilan." The white haired man gestured for him to continue. "He reeks of magic, and now he smells of two different vampires. He is... Odd." Ariel looked slightly bewildered, and was unsure of how, exactly, to describe the boy. "He does not fear rats, that's for sure. He actually apologized for disturbing us and sending us away. I admit, my curiosity got the better of me, and I got closer. He, ah," Ariel looked embarrassed. "He smelled good, and then he picked me up and, ah, petted me..." He trailed off blushing furiously. Keilan hummed.

"What happened next," he asked calmly; Ariel swallowed weakly.

"He, ah, turned out the lights, said goodnight, and fell asleep almost immediately. Before that, though, he said he hoped we didn't mind having a human as a roommate, in those exact words." Ariel waited anxiously, watching the Rat Lord as he thought. After a few minutes of silence, he started to worry.

"This boy..." Keilan started; Ariel nearly jumped. "You say he reeks of magic?" Ariel nodded vigorously.

"And a lot of it, but it's controlled. He hasn't had official training, because I got the sense that he used it only when he really needed it. I don't think he relies on it like Wizards do, but he doesn't use it like the Wiccan's either..." Keilan nodded, pleased and thoughtful.

"Ariel, you shall watch over the boy. I want you to be his confident, and watch over him. Guard him, and if you can, go with him everywhere. These are your orders. Do not disappoint me." Ariel nodded frantically, bowing to the Rat Lord before hurrying back into his rat form and off to the basement where his new charge slept. Ariel hesitated briefly, but the boy's gentle nature called to him, and he soon found himself dozing off in the curve of the boys neck. He blinked his eyes sleepily, before yawning and falling asleep.

From the shadows of the tunnel, a white rat with red eyes watched them silently, amused and curious despite himself. It was unlike him to indulge in his curiosity, but, like his servant, Keilan found himself drawn to the boy. He silently vowed to check up on him and make sure that he wanted for nothing. After all, the boy was sleeping above his den, and seemed to be an extremely powerful magic-user. Yes, Keilan decided he would most definitely take care of this human.

Silently, he turned and disappeared, his white fur clashing with the inky blackness of the tunnel. With a flick of his pink and scaly tail, he turned a corner and left the two to sleep.

**A/N:** Ta Da!!! I own the Rat Demons. No one steal them. MINE!!! (Possessive glare, cuddling cute little rats closely.)I love rats... Not the human kind, though... Okay, REVIEW!!!


	5. Meeting a Rat, a Snake, and a Lord

**A/N:** Whoo-hoo!! I'm getting these chaps up fast, though not nearly as fast as When a Phoenix Interferes, but then again I had two weeks off from school with nothing to do to write _that_... Anyways R&R!!!

"_Parseltongue"_ (Sp?)

**Chapter Four**

**~*~**

Harry awoke to loud pounding on the door, jerking his head up and blinking blindly in the dark. He heard a startled squeak and quickly found his little rat friend, and gently petted him.

"Boy! Get up, get up now!" His aunt shrieked from the other side of the door. Harry scowled.

"Bloody banshee of a bint," he grumbled before putting on his glasses with an annoyed sigh. "Coming Aunt Petunia!" He called; the woman stopped banging on the door and left. Harry shook his head, turning on the light. He gave his startled rat friend an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, my friend. She's a horror, I know." He reached over and gently ran a finger down the rats back. "Didn't mean to startle you with the abrupt light, either. Sorry." The rat squeaked and shook it's head. Harry stared at it for a moment, his intelligent mind flicking through possibilities. "Hmm," was all he said as he got up and changed his overly large t-shirt with another, cleaner one. He had three too-big shirts, two too-big pants, three pairs of bowers that he'd managed to shrink a few sizes. They were still too big, but not as much. He gave the boxes nearby a curious glance, then looked down at the rat.

"Alright," he said calmly. "I'll be right back. I have to cook a feast for the whales." He narrowed his eyes slightly at the rat. "And I know you can understand me perfectly, so I know you're not an average rat. I hope that we'll be able to trust each other enough that you'll be willing to talk to me about it some time." He nodded at the shocked rat's all-too-human expression, before turning and trotting upstairs.

Ariel all but flew to the den, his heart pounding and his mind still slightly dazed from shock. He shifted shape and rushed through the crowd, hissing and snapping his teeth every once in while to get a clear path. He found Keilan sitting on a cushion with a book. The Rat Lord glanced up at him calmly and arched a brow.

"He knows," Ariel blurted, flustered. Keilan frown slightly and set up straighter. "He figured out I wasn't a normal rat. Told me straight to my face." Keilan held up a hand, and Ariel fell silent, nervous. The Rat Lord thought for a few moments, before nodding.

"Tell him." Ariel blinked, startled. "You are to tell him about us, and you're going to start teaching him. Start with languages, both spoken and read. Understand?" Ariel bowed low.

"You honor me, my Lord," he said sincerely. "Trusting me with the teachings of the magic-user shall be my utmost priority, I promise you. I wont let you down, my lord!" Keilan gestured at him, returning to his book. Ariel bowed one last time, before transforming and returning to the basement to wait for his soon-to-be pupil.

Harry returned an hour later with a scowl firmly on his face. He locked the door firmly behind him, descended the steps, before pausing. He cocked his head at the rat, who was sitting in the middle of his bed, waiting. Cautiously, he moved closer. Immediately, the rat started shifting, and soon Ariel sat in the middle of the bed with a small, nervous smile. Harry stared at him for a few seconds, before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Wow," he said calmly, "this town is much more interesting then London. First vampires, now people who can turn into rats." He glanced at the man on his bed. "What's your name and, if it's not too rude, what exactly are you?" Ariel's lips twitched in approval slightly.

"My name is Ariel and I am a-" he then proceeded to say a long, weird word that Harry had no clue how to pronounce. In fact, he doubted that any human would be able to.

"Um, in layman's terms?" Ariel blinked.

"I'm a Rat Demon." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place, silly?" Ariel stared at the amused boy in front of him, before shrugging.

"Habit?" Harry snorted, before holding out a hand.

"Well, Ariel, I'm Harry." The rat demon carefully placed his long, thin hand with claw tipped fingers in the boys small hand. They shook tentatively, neither wanting to harm or test the others strength. Harry smiled warmly, his green eyes spakling with friendliness.

"Want to help me sort through the boxes over there?" He asked the demon, gesturing. Ariel gazed at the pile, before nodding.

"I believe you could use the help, young Harry," he said calmly; Harry nodded. Together they started shifting the boxes. There was plenty of room, seeing as how Harry's stuff only took up a small portion of the entire basement. Soon, they uncovered four heavy trunks with rusty padlocks. Harry went straight over to these, looking at them and examining them closely. Then he examined the padlocks and frowned thoughtfully.

"I think I can get these," he told the Rat demon, who stared at him for a few seconds, reached for the nearest padlock, and tugged. It snapped off, and Harry blinked. "Or you could just do that," he said, amused. He quickly opened the trunk, and was startled when something jumped from it at him. Instinct alone saved him, making his hand shoot up and wrap around the things thin neck, holding it at arms length as it writhed and snapped deadly looking fangs at him.

It looked like a snake, except for the fact that it had three glowing red eyes and a thin layer of fur instead of scales. It wrapped itself around his forearm, and flapped two thin bat-like wings in agitation.

"That wasn't very nice, you know," the boy scolded, frowning at the beautiful creature trying to kill him. "Such a magnificent being," he murmured, using his free hand to lightly run his fingers down it's body. He gently touched the wings, and the snake-like creature started to calm. "Who would be cruel enough to lock such a beauty away in a basement?" Harry frowned slightly; he disliked the thought of anyone mistreating anybody else. The snake-creature stared at him with intelligent eyes, and had stopped struggling, sensing that Harry would not hurt it.

"That was impressive, young Harry," Ariel said, eying the serpent warily. Harry gave him a pleased grin before bringing the snake-thing closer to his chest, humming soothingly. He knew that snakes couldn't hear (But, then again, it wasn't any type of snake he'd ever known to exist...) but he knew that the soothing vibrations the humming created would further calm the snake. The snake blinked up at him, which made Harry blink.

"You are definitely not an average snake," Harry said, curious. "You have fur, three eyes, and you can blink." The snake hissed softly at him.

"_Strange little human,"_ a voice hissed at him, most definitely female. Harry blinked. _"You smell nice, and I know you shall not harm us."_

"_Us?"_ Harry hissed back, making Ariel jump and stare at him. The boy cocked his head to the side as the startled snake nodded.

"_A Speaker? Interesting, but yes. Us. My brood is within the box, guarding the books within it."_ The snake looked him over critically... Or, well, as critically as a three eyed snake can... _"You are worthy to read my old Master's books. Though, many are spell books, and all of them are in different languages, mostly demonic."_ Harry blinked, and looked into the box.

"Neat," Harry said, happy and curious. He reached into the box and gently shifted a few baby snake demons out of the way, and lifted out a gigantic, think, musty, and ancient book. Ariel had to help him carry it to the bed, where he set it down gently. It had a picture of an eye in the center of a pentagram, and it was on a weird type of leather. Harry sniffed the leather, sneezing at the dust. It smelled musky and sort of familiar. Ariel leaned closer and gazed at the book for a moment, then grunted.

"Human skin," he said, fingering the cover. Harry blinked, then looked down at the book with some distaste.

"Such a silly concept," he said, wrinkling his nose. Then he shook his head and opened the book. The first page was in an odd squiggly-wiggly language. Harry blinked at it, then looked at Ariel. The Rat Demon raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.

"That language is too old for me, little one," he said honestly; Harry sighed, then looked at the page again. And blinked. Twice. He took off his glasses and cleaned them, before he put them back on and looked at the page again. Yep, it was definitely in English now.

"Weird ass book," he muttered; Ariel cuffed him upside the head for the language, but it was half-hearted. Harry looked at him, pouted, then returned his attention to the book. "It's in English now," he said, already reading. The first few pages were an introductory. Apparently, it was a Book of Shadows, and Harry was startled to find his name at the bottom of a rather short list of previous owners of the books. He was shocked to find Morgana LeFey and Merlin had a joint ownership, which meant that they shared it.

"And here I always thought Merlin and LeFey were enemies," he muttered to himself, before turning to the contents. There were many sections, first were on the proper way to do magick. Harry also found sections on spells, charms, jinxes, potions, poisons, Wand Making and Crafting, Spell Crafting, scrying, herb lore, Demonology, mythology, Ancient Runes, and several other sections. "It'll take me_ years_ to read all this," Harry sighed, setting the book aside for the moment. "I'll need notebooks and such, so I can write things down and such. No reason to rely on this monster of a book." He went back to the box, and pulled out three more books, a journal, and a small wooden box with an intricate flower on the top.

The books were interesting, and all of them were in a different language. Ariel told him they were in Greek, Latin, and Gobbledygook, which, apparently, is the language of Goblins. He then had to explain what exactly Goblins did, how they remained hidden from the 'Mundanes', and what their history was. Harry was fascinated, but then again, he'd always had a love for all things not normal. Living in a household where everything absolutely had to be normal would do that to you.

"Will you teach me?" Harry asked eagerly; Ariel grinned.

"Of course, little one. You need supplies though; you'll most definitely be taking lots of notes." Harry grinned up at him happily.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do. I'll probably need some help, though, seeing as how my relatives don't want me to have anything of my own." Ariel stifled a hiss. A sudden clearing of someone's throat made them jump. Harry stared, wide eyed, at the imposing albino man before him, standing just in front of the hole that led to the Rat Den. Ariel bowed low; Harry did the same, and managed to make it look incredibly graceful and suave. If a ten-year-old can be suave, that is...

"Rise, both of you," Keilan said, amused. The two rose instantly, and Harry smiled up at the Rat Lord shyly.

"Hello, I'm Harry," he said; Keilan smiled at him.

"Ah, I am pleased to meet you. My name is Keilan. I am the leader of the Rat Demons, of whom all live under this abode." Harry blinked, then grinned.

"Neat." Keilan smiled slightly. It was refreshing, talking to one so young. He loved children, and all Rat Demons treasured them, due to the fact that they had problems reproducing. They only had a child once or twice every century or so. It was a breath of fresh air.

"I'm here to formally invite you down to the Den. We have supplies and such that you can use for your tutelage." Harry stared at Keilan with huge eyes, surprised, then nodded eagerly. He reached for the Book of Shadows, and wished it was smaller and lighter. Instantly, the book shrank until it was the size of any normal Diary, and Harry's initials appeared on the spine. Harry blinked, before shrugging and slipping it into his pocket. Keilan arched one straight, white brow at that, but merely shrugged it away.

"Come along, then," the Rat Lord said calmly, before transforming into his rat form and scurrying into the tunnel. Ariel quickly followed; Harry shrugged and crawled in. He followed the Rat Demons for what felt like hors, but was probably only fifteen minutes or so. Then, they emerged into the antechamber, filled with men and women. The gave Harry curious glances, but he merely smiled innocently up at them, eyes bright with friendliness as he followed the Rat Lord.

Harry found the world of Rat Demons fascinating. The women cooed over him, and he found he liked the attention, having never had any kind of positive feelings aimed at him, never before Dru, that is. And now, here he was, pulled into a cuddling hug by three female Rat Demons who cooed and petted him and exclaimed over his beautiful green eyes. Keilan and Ariel waited patiently, the Rat Lord amused and calm. Harry reluctantly pulled away from the embraces, and followed the two Rat Demons to a small room branched off from the main chamber.

"This will be the room where you study," Keilan said calmly, gesturing to a small desk that had a few notebooks and some pens and pencils on it. "Ariel has been charged with your tutelage, and as your guardian. After all, you _do_ live in front of the gate to our den." Harry gave him a grin.

"Okay, when do we start?" Keilan arched an eyebrow at the boy's enthusiasm.

"Right now, if you like," Ariel said; Harry nodded eagerly, taking his seat and opening a notebook to an empty page. He picked up a pen and waited. "Right..." Ariel cleared his throat. "Let's start with Latin, shall we?" And with that, Harry's lessons started.

**A/N:** Hey, srry it's taken me so long to post. Been sick, AGAIN. (Grimace) Damn lung problems. Been cough so hard I puke, literally. Anyways, review!!


	6. Scoobies Anybody? and Singing Stars

**A/N:** Stupid weak immune system, never letting me stay healthy for long... R&R People. (Goes to sulk)

**Chapter Five**

**~*~**

Harry grimaced, rubbing his cramped and sore wrist tenderly as he emerged from the tunnel and fell upon his bed. It was just after sunset, and he'd already memorized the entire Latin language. Ariel was quite pleased with him, and Harry couldn't agree more. Nearly twelve hours of constant note taking really ground the concepts of something into the brain.

With a sigh, Harry forced himself off the bed and up the stairs. He closed the door firmly behind him, gave his relatives a cold stare, and went into the kitchen. After running cold water over his hand and wrist for a few minutes, he finally left, heading for the cemetery.

He watched, curiously, as a group of people headed in the same direction. One was a petite blond girl, who Harry got the distinct feeling was more dangerous then she appeared. Another was a red headed girl, who seemed the shy, bookish type of person. The other two were male. One was tall, with chocolate-brown hair, and Harry was startled to see that he wore an eye-patch. The other man was older then the previous three, with graying brown hair and glasses, wearing tweed. He reminded Harry of a professor, or a librarian. The man with the eye-patch caught sight of him, and paused, frowning slightly.

"Come on, Xander!" The petite blond whined, making Harry and the man with the eye-patch grimace at her high-pitched voice. "We don't have time for you to sit around and look at flowers!" The blond stormed off, dragging the red-head with her. The librarian man sighed and took off his glasses, cleaning them. Harry walked over to the man with the eye-patch, and they silently observed each other.

"You know, kid, you shouldn't be out at night," the man said slowly; Harry shrugged.

"I've got a meeting to get to," he said, and blinked as the bespectacled man spoke up,

"Ah! A fellow Englishman!" He smiled cheerfully down at Harry, who smiled back. "I am Rupert Giles, and this is my young friend, Alexander Harris." Said young friend rolled his eye.

"Call me Xander, kid. G-man always forgets that." Giles grimaced at the nickname; Harry giggled.

"I'm Harry. My relatives and I just moved here, and before you ask, yes. They do know I'm out here. In fact, I think they approve of me not being in the house," he added, thoughtful, before shrugging. "Well, I've got to get to the cemetery, want to come?" Xander and Giles shared a glance.

"Um, why do you want to go to the cemetery?" Xander asked carefully. "I mean, seriously, little dude. It's creepy at night and there are-" He stopped abruptly at the look in the ten-year-olds eyes.

"I would very much appreciate it if you would cease treating me like a child, Xander," Harry said, his tone cool and his eyes those of an adult who'd seen more then his fair share of the worlds horrors.

"Er-Right, then, shall we continue?" Giles interrupted, cleaning his glasses again. Harry thought it was kind of funny and found himself watching the older man with amusement.

"Lets," he said, striding past the older males and walking calmly toward his destination. He didn't notice Xander's chocolate-brown eyes flashing green before returning to their normal coloring. Giles sent the one-eyed man a sharp, questioning look; Xander shrugged.

"She likes him," was all he said, before taking off after the boy. Giles looked heaven word in exasperation, before following. They reached the cemetery ten minutes later, and all froze in surprise, watching as the petite blond girl threw a tall, dark hair man into a tree, before leaping after him with a stake in her hand. Harry didn't have time to think about that, though, because he was abruptly yanked off the ground and was soon encased in an unbreakable embrace and flying though the air.

"Harry!" Xander and Giles shouted. Harry looked up at his capture, eyes wide, before going limp and beaming.

"Miss Dru!" He cried, turning in her arms and wrapping his arms around her neck happily. The female vampire nuzzled her face in his hair.

"My little Raven, I missed you!" Harry laughed and hugged her harder, knowing he couldn't hurt her.

"I missed you to! Who's that," he asked, looking towards the fighting blond and the dark vampire.

"That's Daddy, and the Slayer," she hissed the last as if it were the vilest of insults. "She's trying to give Daddy a soul again." Harry frowned.

"Why?" He asked, confused. "I mean, isn't it against some unwritten rule to force a soul on something sentient that obviously doesn't want it?" Dru titled her head to the side, and Harry smiled at Spike when he stepped out of the nearby shadows to stand next to them. He ruffled Harry's hair, blowing out cigarette smoke.

"Hey, squirt." Harry swatted his hand away with a pout.

"Spi-ike!" He complained, trying to fix his unnameable hair. "It's bad enough without you making it worse!" The English vampire snickered, and Dru cooed as Harry pouted. Xander, Giles, the Slayer, and the red-head just stared at them. Of course, the Slayer staring meant that the dark vampire got to hit her, sending her flying. Instantly after that, the vampire was standing next to then, arching an eyebrow at Harry. Harry smiled shyly up at him, and waved.

"Hi!" He said, before burying his face in Dru's shoulder. The insane vampire cooed happily, petting his hair and hugging him closer.

"Daddy, don't scare my sweet Raven," she scolded lightly, rubbing her cheek against Harry's head.

"Yeah, Angelus!" Spike said dryly, amused. "Don't go scaring the squirt. He's okay, kinda grows on ya."

"I didn't do anything," Angelus said, a slight lilt in his voice. "Not my fault if the brat's a coward." It was, apparently, the wrong thing to say. Dru and Spike instantly shifted to Game Face, and hissed at the older Vampire. He stared at them in surprise, as did the four humans behind him. Harry lifted his head and wrapped his arms around Dru's neck, planting an innocent kiss on her ridged cheek.

"It's okay, Miss Dru," he said soothingly, smiling at her warmly. "I am a bit of a coward, but then again, any sane person would be afraid when facing an unknown vampire." He shrugged, but it seemed to work. Instantly, Spike was shifted out of Game Face and taking another drag from his cigarette, as if nothing had happened at all. Dru started purring, and rubbed her ridged cheek against Harry's gently, making him giggle and rub back.

"...Did I miss something?" The blond asked suddenly, her high-pitched voice making the vampires wince, along with Harry and Xander. Angelus sent her a condescending smile.

"Oh, Buffy, I'm sure you miss quite a bit of _something_," he said mockingly with a knowing look as he eyes trailed up and down her body; Buffy's face flushed and she gritted her teeth furiously. Harry watched her, eyes narrowed. If she tried to hurt Dru... He didn't know what he'd do, honestly, but his magick reared furiously at the thought, and filled his body, rippling under his skin. Dru, back in her human facade, cooed at him soothingly and tried to calm him down by cuddling him and petting him.

"My sweet little Raven," she said in a sing-song voice. "My sweet, loyal, beautiful Raven. Do you hear the stars, little bird? How they sing of you?" Harry looked up at her, smiling. He closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, as if listening. "Listen to them, Raven, hear their whispers." And he did, through his magick. He heard whispers, stories of the past, the present, and the future. With a sharp intake of breath, he opened his eyes and stared into Dru's dark ones. She beamed. "Do you hear, sweet Raven?

"I hear, Night's Princess," he answered. Dru started spinning them in a circle.

"Do they sing, sweet Raven?"

"The most beautiful songs they sing," he replied. They spun faster.

"Of what do they sing, sweet Raven?" The world was a blur around them now, and Harry felt like they were the ones standing still while reality spun, faster and faster, around them.

"Of blood and death and love and betrayal and pain and lust and so much more, Night's Princess," he answered again, and suddenly, the world stopped spinning, and everything was still, waiting.

"And do you answer to them, sweet Raven?" Dru asked in a solemn, serious, and utterly sane voice.

"No," Harry said in the same kind of voice. "I answer _for_ them." A gust of icy winds flew by, making even the vampires shiver, all except Dru and Harry, who stared into each others eyes, faces blank. Slowly, they both smiled.

"Excellent," Dru said, before giggling madly, once again back to her old self. "Sing a song with me, little Raven?" Harry smiled softly.

"Always, Night's Princess, always," he replied, and so they sang:

"_Hate and love,_

"_All tied in one._

"_The world spins faster,_

"_Coming undone._

"_You stand in the shadows,_

"_Yet still in the light._

"_Neutral in all things,_

"_But still in the fight._

"_You love and you hate,_

"_You cry and you bleed._

"_Never falling in line,_

"_But still following the creed._

"_You refuse to be beaten,_

"_Broken or bound._

"_You stand tall and straight,_

"_Always so proud._

"_Hate simmers in your eyes,_

"_Loves constant friend._

"_But you never realize your doom,_

"_Until the end._

"_You fall into darkness,_

"_Forgotten and scorned._

"_You scream and you wish,_

"_You'd never been born._

"_Don't loose hope,_

"_But it's to late._

"_You can't loose what you never had,_

"_What a twist of fate._

"_Fall upon your knees, young soldier,_

"_Bow before the Puppet master._

"_Your strings have been cut,_

"_Your end is a disaster._

"_You were but a pawn_

"_On an old fools chessboard._

"_But you're now gone,_

"_He took a chance and cut the cord._

"_Goodbye, defiant puppet,_

"_Farewell my little friend._

"_Death isn't so unpleasant,_

"_And you'll be laughing in the end._

"_So be not afraid to die,_

"_Fear not Death's Kiss._

"_After all your terror,_

"_Is all we'll surely miss."_

The chilling song floated through the night air, making the humans nearby shudder. Carried by such innocent and child-like voices... it was chilling. Angelus and Spike merely smiled and shook their heads, though, sharing a look that many parents had worn before. The look that said one thing, with a mix of love, exasperation, and amusement. _Kids._

**A/N:** Ta Da!!! Even when sick, or at least, when I'm feeling better while sick, I still manage some updates!! YAY!! XP REVIEW!!! I Need to read something that'll make me smile, and reviews are definitely they way to go!!


	7. Donut Debates and JelloWith Teeth

**A/N: **WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! ONWARD WITH THE NEXT CHAPPY!!! XP

**Chapter Six**

**~*~**

"That... Was weird," Xander said with a slight smile. Harry looked over at him and grinned.

"I like him," he told Dru cheerfully; the Seer blinked, then focused on the one eyed man.

"Hmm," was all she said, thinking. Harry wiggled until she sat him down. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back over to the other vampires, who were also watching Xander with thoughtful looks. Xander shifted slightly, nervously under their combined stares, his eye flashing a bright glowing green and a subvocal growl erupting from his throat, which only the vampires, Harry, and, surprisingly, Giles could hear. Harry giggled slightly, as did Dru.

"I like him as well, Raven," she announced. Spike and Angelus merely arched a brow, curious.

"As interesting as this is," the Slayer said in her whine-like voice, which Harry decided he really didn't like. "But weren't we, like, fighting? Or something?" Harry stared at her as Dru pet his hair absently.

"I don't like her," he said with a slow shake of his head, moving closer to the vampires. "My magick says she tastes funny." The red-head stared at him with wide eyes at that; Angelus and Spike stared at him.

"I can assure you," Angelus said, flashing the Slayer a mocking smile. "She _tastes_ just fine." Harry snorted.

"Which means you fucked her, sucked her, and then kicked her to the curb, correct?" The ten-year-old asked dryly. Dru cuffed him upside the head with a shake of her head and a roll of dark eyes.

"No cursing, little Raven," she admonished; Harry looked up at her, unrepentant.

"I apologize for my lack of decorum, Miss Dru," he said solemnly; Dru smiled cheerfully and kissed his forehead forgivingly.

"Okay, as much fun as this is," Xander said carefully, wary to anger the excitable demons. "But... Aren't we supposed to be getting on with the poking with the pointy sticks and bad guys exploding into dusty bits?" Harry and Dru giggled; Giles lips twitched slightly and he gave the younger man an amused look.

"You rhymed," Harry told him, giggling. Dru clapped her hands together in childish delight.

"I did?" The one-eyed man asked, before going over what he'd said. "Huh, I did!" His face split into a grin. The petite blond huffed in annoyance.

"Screw this, I'm done. No more Miss Nice Slayer!" She declared, before throwing her stake at the three vampires. Her first mistake was throwing it at Dru. Harry's magick reacted instantly as he stepped fully in front of the female vampire. The stake froze inches away from them, before it promptly burst into flames and went flying back at the Slayer, who dodged it. The three vampires hissed and leaped forward, engaging in a furious battle.

"Xander, stay back!" She shouted as the red-head and Watcher joined her in the battle. The one eyed man froze, and frowned.

"But I can help," he said; the red-head sent him an apologetic look.

"You'll only get in the way," she said hesitantly. Giles was too out of breath and in tune with the battle to say or do anything, but he managed to give both girls a dirty look.

"Oh," the young man said softly. Harry frowned as he started to leave. He met Miss Dru's dark, knowing eyes once, before running after the older man. Xander paused and waited for him to catch up when they were a block away.

"Those girls are stupid," the green eyed boy said bluntly; Xander snorted, lips twitching slightly, before he sighed sadly.

"So, why are you hanging out with the blood suckers?" he finally asked; Harry shrugged.

"Why are you hanging out with a group that only one person thinks you should be in?" He shot back. Xander winced.

"I asked you first!" He declared childishly; Harry giggled.

"Well, they're nice to me. Miss Dru cares for me like she's my mom or something. I've never been hugged before, but she's really cuddly and sweet and I love her." Harry smiled ruefully. "Spike is like an older brother, but since I only just now met Angelus, I'm going to have to get to know him a bit better." Xander frowned slightly.

"Don't you have a family here?" He asked, confused. Harry smiled bitterly.

"Oh, I have relatives that I live with." He tapped his bruised and swollen cheek gently; Xander winced. "My uncle thinks I'm abnormal and a freak because of my magick."

"Damn," Xander said, giving him an understanding look. "My parents were heavy drinkers with heavier hands. Mom was okay when she was sober, but dad just liked to belt me around and beat on me. He liked to call it 'male bonding' and 'making sure I was man enough for the real world' and shit like that." Harry smiled sadly at that. They walked in companionable silence for a while, passing a weird looking blue blob. Xander hesitated, looking at it.

"I'm not sure if I want to know what that is," he said slowly. Harry looked at it.

"It kind of looks like blue Jello," he exclaimed, before finding a stick and poking it. It jiggled, before part of it lifted and exposed a circle of many rowed shark-like teeth. Two stalks rose on it's "head" and two eyes formed on top of those.

"Whoa," Harry said; Xander grabbed his hand and pulled him slowly away.

"Okay, no more of the poking Jello-Slugs with teeth. Okay?" He said, pulling the curious ten-year-old safely away. The blue Jello-Slug laid back down and it's eyes disappeared.

"Are there many demons and stuff here?" Harry asked, looking around warily. Xander nodded with a snort.

"This place is like a freaking magnet for the things. If it's creepy and crawly and goes bump in the night, it's here in Sunnyhell." Harry nodded.

"I need to ask Ariel about this kind of thing," he murmured, edging around another Jello-Slug, this one was yellow, and raised it's head to stare after them.

"Who's Ariel?" Xander asked, looking both ways as they crossed the street.

"My Rat Demon Tutor," Harry told him; Xander stumbled over a small pothole, staring at the ten-year-old.

"Great, another demon magnet," he said, amused. Harry just stared at him, confused. "I attract demons like crazy," the man explained. "People call me a Demon Magnet because of it. You seem to attract Demons as well. That means that now there's two of us!" Harry giggled and shook his head at the older mans enthusiasm at the idea. They turned a corner and found a 24/7 donut shop. Xander took them in.

"Hey Xander," the girl behind the counter said with a warm smile. "Who's the cutie?" She demanded, leaning over the counter to coo at Harry, who blushed and ducked his head shyly. Xander hid a smile behind his hand.

"This is my friend Harry. Harry, meet the Donut princess, Natasha."

"Call me Nat, sugarplum," Natasha declared, smiling warmly. Harry smiled back and nodded his head.

"We'll have a couple of donuts and two cups of hot chocolate," Xander told her; Nat nodded cheerfully.

"What kind of donuts?" She asked, typing in their order. Xander glanced through the menu above her head; Harry did the same.

"I'll have two round ones with chocolate and sprinkles," He said; Harry pursed his lips.

"I've never had a donut before," he admitted hesitantly. Xander stared at him for a few seconds, then shook his head in a pitying way.

"We'll have to fix that," he said firmly, turning back to Natasha. "He'll have the same, as well as two maple long-johns with Bulvarian(Sp?) cream." Nat nodded, typing it all in. "You'll love these," Xander told Harry as he paid. The quickly took residence in a corner booth, listening to music play, and got in a friendly debate bout whether or not Batman was better then the Joker.

Natasha brought them their order, grinning as they both thanked her before getting right back to their arguing. They continued arguing, waiting for their steaming hot chocolate to cool.

"Joker wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Batman," Xander finally exclaimed. Harry shrugged.

"That may be, but would Batman have a reason to defend Gotham if Joker hadn't of killed his girlfriend?" Xander paused to think about that, before slowly nodding.

"Alright, I concede that point." Harry nodded in agreement.

"Let's agree to disagree, alright?" He asked; Xander nodded sharply, and they shook hands on it, before grinning and diving into their donuts'. Harry moaned joyfully at the taste, eating with gusto. They both finished their donut's at a nearly inhuman speed, before they both sat back and sipped their hot chocolate.

"Little Raven!" A voice suddenly called; Harry turned, beaming, towards the door as the three vampires entered. Xander froze, unsure, before going back to his hot chocolate.

"Miss Dru!" Harry said warmly, scooting over so she could sit with him. She immediately started cuddling him to her, petting his hair and planting a gentle kiss on his head.

"Have you been having fun, Raven?" She asked; Harry nodded furiously, beaming up at her.

"Xander's the best!" He exclaimed, making the older man blush slightly. "He bought me some donuts and hot chocolate, and I've never had either before! And, we got into a fun debate about Batman and Joker." Dru smiled at Xander, before placing another kiss on Harry's head and smoothing out his hair in a mother-like fashion.

"Would you like to go to the park?" she asked; Harry nodded excitably.

"Can Xan come?" He asked, looking at the older man, before turning pleading eyes on the vampires. Angelus and Spike shrugged; Dru smiled warmly.

"If he wants to, sweet Raven, he can come." Harry hooted when Xander nodded hesitantly.

"Yay!" He said, beaming; Dru smiled softly at him and the other two vampires hid small smiles behind their hands. Xander snorted with amusement, before the odd group left the donut shop and headed for the park on the other side of town.

**A/N:** There you guys go! And I own the Jello-Slugs!! THEY'RE MEHN!!! NO TAKEY!!! Now, Review plz!! My power's been out so I haven't been able to update too much. Sorry bout that. X(


	8. Playing at the Park

**A/N:** Okay, y'allz, I need to make this VERY CLEAR. THERE WILL BE _**NO ANGEL!!!!!!!!**_ Angelus is a permanent, and he will NEVER have a soul AGAIN!!!!!!! I LOATH Angel. LOVE his Demon but HATE him!!! He slept with _**BUFFY**_ for crying out loud!! Who does that?! She's a SLAYER!! He's a VAMPIRE!!! That's just asking for a sharp pointy stick to the heart! He was a big, sulky, idiotic pansy and I hated him. So, I killed him off and replaced him with his Uber-cool and evil demon!! Yay me!! Now, have you all reviewed? If not, I'll sic my Evil Bunny on you!!! Lolz!!

**Chapter Seven**

**~*~**

Xander smiled slightly as he watched Harry drag Dru over to the swings. The kid was sweet and didn't judge the monsters like Buffy did. He wasn't one to judge you just because you weren't human. Xander found that endearing.

"So, whelp, wot do ya think of the boy?" Spike asked, letting out a lungful of smoke. Xander winced and waved his hand in the air, trying to clear it.

"I like him. He's cute. Can you please not blow that shit in my face? I'd rather not die of lung cancer, thank you very much!" The vampire snorted, but stopped.

"With the way things are over here," Angelus said from his other side, his Irish accent coming into play in the lazy drawl. "You're more likely to die of being someone's dinner then having Lung Cancer." Xander shrugged.

"Maybe, but I'll go out with healthy lungs. And I'd probably give the demon who ate me indigestion," he said thoughtfully. Spike snorted,

"Or high cholesterol with all the junk ya cram down yer throat, whelp." Xander pouted at him; Angelus snickered.

"Boy-o, you're a walking, talking shot of pure insulin."

"Hey!" Xander exclaimed, sulking as the vampires laughed. "What is this, pick on Xander night?" Spike clapped him on the shoulder, grinning.

"Yeah, mate, didn't ya get the memo?" He asked teasingly; Angelus snorted, before chuckling.

"Ass," Xander complained; Angelus grinned.

"Yes, I have a nice one. What about it?" He asked; Xander scowled.

"What about I kick your supposed nice ass off the bridge and into a vat of holy water?" he muttered, sulking. Spike and Angelus just laughed. They liked teasing the human, because he let them and they thought he looked kind of like a kicked puppy when he pouted. Suddenly, Harry shouted, and all three men looked over, curious.

"There's one of those weird Jello-Slugs eating the slide!" He said; they blinked.

"And we should care because?" Angelus asked; the ten-year-old shrugged.

"Do you guys have a stick?" he asked, curious and grinning. "I wanna poke it!" Xander snorted.

"Didn't you poke the blue one and it tried to eat you?" Harry stared at him.

"It's a Jello-Slug. I think I can outrun it," he said dryly, looking mildly offended. Xander rolled his eyes.

"But it's a_ demon_ Jello-Slug. It might not be as slow as ordinary slugs." Harry stared at him, before shrugging.

"Oh well, I'll yell if it starts eating me, okay?" He said, grabbing the stick Spike handed him and running off towards the slide. Dru drifted over lazily, smiling at Harry as he ran by with the stick.

"Little Raven likes to cause mischief," she said dreamily as she settled next to Spike. The blond vampire wrapped an arm around her waist possessively, letting out another poof of smoke, this time in a ring. Xander and Angelus nodded, leaning against the bright red plastic tunnel. Suddenly, they heard Harry shout, and watched him run away from the slide, a large, green Jello-Slug crawling after him at a pretty impressive speed for a slug. About ten miles per hour.

"Holy crap!" Harry said, stopping in front of them. "It_ is_ faster then normal slugs!" Xander snorted as the demon slug got closer. "It almost got my shoe!" The boy complained, pointing at his foot. A thick layer of slime covered it, making the four adults wrinkle their noses slightly. Harry looked behind him, saw how close the Jello-Slug was, yelped, and ran away. The green blob rolled after him, going a little bit faster.

"Should we help him?" Xander asked. Spike took another drag of his cigarette before throwing the butt on the ground and grinding it out with his shoe.

"Nah," he said, blowing out the smoke. "He can handle himself just fine. Little bugger can outrun that demon, no problem. Look, see? He's outta reach of it now," he said, pointing. Harry had climbed to the top of the slide and was peering over the side at the annoyed Jello-Slug. He disappeared for a moment, reappearing with the stick. They watched as he reached down and poked the slug. It reared up and snapped at him; Harry giggled and did it again.

"He's like a little demon himself," Angelus said, amused. "Likes causing chaos, can be sadistic, and can still charm the ladies." Xander chuckled and nodded.

"And he has a Rat Demon as a tutor," He said, amused. The Irish vampire rolled his eyes.

"Little lad will be able to speak different languages in no time at all," he said dryly. "Rat Demons are very knowledgeable when it comes to that sort of thing." Spike nodded, and Dru smiled dreamily.

"Little rat will be good for my Raven," she said with a nod and started gazing at the star filled sky. "Raven shall be safe with them. They'll protect him and care for him and teach him." She nodded again, before leaning her head on Spike's shoulder.

"...Does she do that often?" Xander asked, staring inquisitively at the dark-eyed woman. Angelus and Spike both nodded."Oh... It's kind of creepy." Angelus snorted with amusement, ruffling his hair. "Hey! Watch the do, dude!" He gave the vampire an annoyed look, dragging his fingers back through his slightly curly hair and making it lay down again.

"Hey, you guys?" Harry called from the slide. "It's starting to eat the-" The heard a scream and a loud the screech as the medal slide toppled over. "...ow..." They hurried over and Xander pulled the boy out of the fallen slide, and away from the Jello-Slugs mouth. "Thanks," the boy said, before snatching up his stick and hitting the slug on the head as hard as he could several times in a row, making a wet smacking sound as it hit. "Bad Jello-Slug, Bad!" The demon slug made a gurgling sound, rearing away from the stick.

"Um, little dude? Maybe you should stop hitting it with the stick," Xander said, watching warily as the green Jello-Slug was joined by the blue one and the yellow one. Harry stared at them with wide eyes, before nodding.

"Yes, I believe I will. Shall we run?" he asked as the three slugs moved towards them swiftly.

"Yes we shall," Xander said with a calm nod, before they all started running. The vampires laughed as they easily outran the Jello-Slugs; Xander and Harry just barely keeping up as the vampires held back. Five blocks later, they finally stopped.

"Damn," the one eyed man muttered, hands on his knee's as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm out of shape. Gotta do less eating and more running." Harry managed a weak giggle from where he lay on the ground, eyes closed as he took deep breaths.

"That was fun," he said, grinning widly when he saw Xander's incredulous look.

"You almost get eaten by a demonic slug made of Jello, and it was fun?" he asked slowly; Harry nodded earnestly. Xander took a deep breath and slowly let it out with a sigh. "Kid, you're going to lower my life expectancy." Harry giggled and the vampires had varying expressions of amusement on there faces.

"Whelp, living in this town will do tha'," Spike drawled, stretching before pulling Harry to his feet. "Not tha' ya didn't know tha' before." Xander snorted, straightening up with a groan.

"True that, Fang-Boy, true that." he sighed. "Now what?" Harry thought about it for a few minutes.

"I dunno, but I say we get movies and watch them at my relatives." He grinned viciously. "It'll scare them, and that's always fun." The vampires grinned evilly and Xander groaned.

"What have we created?" He asked with amusement. Harry gave him an innocent look.

"What ever do you mean, Xan? I was like this before I moved here," he deadpanned; they all laughed and headed for Block Buster.

**A/N: ** Review or the Jello-Slugs will eat you!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! XP ...Seriously, though, Review.


	9. The Movie Marathon of Doom

**A/N:** THE EVIL JELLO-SLUGS ARE COMING!!!! QUICK!!! R&R, IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT'LL SAVE YOU!!! Lolz!! And to my reviewer it's-not-amoose323: Charmed had EVIL Rat Demons. I have kick-ass, super cool, Many-Language-knowing Rat Demons. See? Mine are better. And all of Charmed Rat Demons were male. I have FEMALE rat demons, AND they have an albino Rat Lord!!! So HA!!!

...Okay, I'm done ranting now...

**Chapter Eight**

**~*~**

Vernon Dursley was well aware of the fact that he was far from brave. That he was, in fact, a coward of the highest degree. It was for these very reasons that he was considering ignoring the ringing doorbell and leaving his nephew to fend for himself, without even a hint of guilty conscience.

"Open up you fat tub of lard!" Someone on the other side of the door snarled; Vernon shut his eyes. It was that damned blond man again. Which meant the creepy bint with the weird eyes was with him as well.

"They can smell you, you know!" His nephew's voice called cheerfully.

"And hear you," said an unknown mans voice.

"And we can sense your blood pumping through your veins." A dreamy female voice said softly, teasingly. Vernon shut his eyes again, praying for strength, before he hesitantly unlocked the door and opened it.

Harry grinned up at his pale uncle, before brushing past him. He turned in the doorway and grinned at his friends.

"Come on in, you guys!" He said, beaming. Spike sneered at Vernon when the passed, Dru smiled blankly, Angelus wrinkled his nose in disgust, and Xander eyed him narrowly. They went straight to the living room, throwing Dudley out. Literally. Angelus and Spike grabbed the overweight boy by an arm each and tossed him from the room. Harry thought it was Christmas early.

"Okay, so what do we watch first?" He asked, eying the large stack of movies. Most of them were horror, but there were a few comedy and adventure ones as well. And Star Wars. After some debate they decided on watching the _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series. Harry put the DVD for the first one in, before hurrying over to the couch and snuggling down in between Xander and Dru, smiling at the latter when she pulled his head o rest on her chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and watched the movie.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Several hours later, after watching the entire _Pirates of the Caribbean_ series,_ Star Wars_,_ Freddy VS Jason_,_ Chuckys' Bride_,_ Alien_,_ Predator_,_ Alien Vs Predator_, and Dru's only movie choice, _The Labyrinth_. Harry really like the last one, he laughed through most of it. He'd also liked the AVP movie.

"Sun'll be up in half an hour," Angelus said, standing from the recliner with a stretch. Spike stood as well, cracking his neck. Xander had passed out a little after the sixth movie of _Star Wars_. He'd been laying his head on Spike's shoulder, so when the vampire stood he fell into his empty seat with a soft grunt. He opened exhausted eyes to manage a small glare, before closing it again and returning to sleep. Harry giggled tiredly, yawning every few seconds.

"Bed," All three vampires said at once. He pouted at them, before getting to his feet. Angelus scooped up Xander carefully, not even waking him, and followed Harry into the basement after he'd given Dru and Spike a kiss and hug goodbye. He laid the one-eyed Scooby down on Harry's bed and prepared to go back upstairs. But he didn't get even one step when Harry hugged him tightly and pulled him down for a kiss on the cheek.

"Night Angelus," the ten-year-old said with a jaw-popping yawn. Angelus ruffled his hair affectionately and left. "Can you tell Mr. Giles that Xander's over here?" He asked; the vampire nodded, smiling slightly as Harry nodded, turned off the light, and was asleep before he'd finished cuddling into Xander's side, his head resting on the mans chest.

"Night, squirt," Angelus murmured fondly before going back upstairs and leaving with Dru and Spike. They headed for the Watchers house first, knocking on the door calmly. Giles opened it with a crossbow loaded and ready, tired eyes narrowed sharply.

"Where's Xander?" He demanded; Dru answered.

"You White Knight guards my Dark Raven," she said dreamily, smiling at the Watcher. "He slumbers at my Raven's nest, and you need not worry. My Raven's tutors will take care of him." She looked up at the slowly fading stars. "The stars tell me many great things about your little Knight. He's good for my Raven." Giles stared at her for a moment, figuring out what she said.

"So Xander's crashed out at Harry's house?" Angelus and Spike nodded; Giles shook his head with a sigh. "And you couldn't have just said that, of course." He sighed again. "I'm letting these young people rub off on me, I swear. I'm too old for this," he muttered, before staring at the sky. "Thank you for informing me. Now, unless you wish to watch the sun rise, I suggest you return to wherever you sleep," he looked at the vampires again, but they were already gone. He shook his head, grumbling about impatient children.

Ripper snickered softly at the back of his mind as he closed the door and went back to bed. Giles scowled in his mind, but said nothing. The one thing that he and his alter ego both agreed on was that Harry was a good thing for Xander. They both also saw that the one-eyed mischief-maker was their son, and they both agreed that he needed something good in his life. And if that good thing was a little boy who had an abnormal amount of power and was protected and cared for by the Scourge's of Europe, who were they to judge?

**A/N:** Yay, another chapter! Sorry it's taken so long, people's, but my aunt had to rearrange a lot of wires and clean the computer & the desk it's one. Now, REVIEW!!!


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